Tuesday, July 22, 2014

A month into summer and all is well

I met Gene six years ago at this coffee shop, and now I feel he's part of my family. Here he is with his girlfriend Paula yesterday morning. I was so pleased to see them, as Gene has been salmon fishing in Bristol Bay for the past six weeks. Seems like a different town when he's not around. And Paula doesn't come to the coffee shop by herself. So welcome back!

I have got lots of stuff out of my garden, and the sugar snap peas have finished, so I need to spend some time in the garden getting rid of things that have already been harvested. I pulled up a six-and-a-half-pound red cabbage (that's almost 3kg) and we're still eating it. It's pretty wonderful. And I planted a new vegetable a few weeks back that is almost ready to harvest. Do you know what it is?

My little alien

It's a kohlrabi! I've never had one before, but I sure do like the way it looks, a bit like something from another planet. You can't make this stuff up, and why would I bother? I'm having fun in the garden, that's for sure. I wandered around the rest of the garden before coming back in to write this post, and I must say Nate has some of the most interesting things around (other than my alien, that is).

Nate's artichokes

Look at those pretty artichokes that are coming into being. I've never seen them grown in a garden before, so I wasn't exactly sure what the plant looked like. And he's got a massive crop of sunflowers that are all beginning to flower. They are going to be huge.

Nate's first sunflower

I was standing in the garden looking up at his plants, which are already way, way over my head. Considering that I'm more than five feet tall, these must already be seven and on their way up even more, don't you think?

By the way, Trish made it back to Seattle just fine, and it makes me very happy to have Facebook so I can keep up with all the happenings in her life, as well as the rest of my extended family. I didn't get to skydive this past weekend because of weather, so we're going to try again this coming weekend, which looks really good in the long-range forecast. So, life is good here, and I've got many happy hours ahead to tend my garden, read books, and just plain enjoy summer. Hope yours is going well, too.
:-)

20 comments:

Y'know, as far as I know, even at my age, I've never tried an artichoke. The plants look so healthy. All of them. And to able to sit down at the table and consume what you've grown in your own garden makes everything taste so much better.

Ironic, I was just thinking of your friend the other day. Did he catch a lot.

Kohlrabi is a favorite of mine; just peel it and eat it like an apple, or put a little salt on it. Don't let it get old and woody though; they are best young. I buy mine at a Farmers Market each week; congrats on growing your own.

Glad you are having such a great time! Those gardens look grand. and first first glance, I thought Gene was a Bear, and I was about to congratulate you on your exceptional choice in friends. I still think he is a keeper, with a beard like that, but just not a Bear.

Nice to see Gene and Paula back at the coffee shop. I am wondering - Is the salmon fishing just for enjoyment or catching to sell to market, etc. Nice photo of them both. I love my garden too and we just had fresh everything with supper last nite - corn is not quite ready just yet, but soon will be. Have a wonderful week, DJan, along with all your fine plans.

What a beautiful garden you have DJan. I’d love to taste some of your veggies. I have heard of the name kohlrabi but have never seen or tasted it. My mother used to love artichokes and we ate them at home all the time, steamed and cold with vinaigrette. You are having a good crop from your garden – it’s nice to see that your efforts bore fruits – no, vegetable!

Kohlrabi is the spouses new favorite. He harvested one this evening that was huge. I bet it might be overgrown. Our tomatoes are coming on strong. I'm not looking forward to having to prepare them for the freezer. I've got Over 20 pints of jam made already! When did I turn into a farm wife?

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Who is DJan?

My non-standard name, DJan, comes from smooshing together my first initial and my middle name. I answer to either DJan or Jan. As an active Senior in Bellingham, Washington, I spend my spare time with my blogging buddies, hiking around the area, reading, thinking, and writing my own stuff.